Query: do the benefits to RACES participants of a county program such as a credit union conflict with FCC Amateur Radio Service rules?
Reply: The FCC rules do not apply to Amateurs for the use of a credit union by participants in a county benefit program as a result of a RACES program in and by that county. What it does do is to seek to prevent Amateur licensees from using the Amateur Radio Service FREQUENCIES incorrectly. It's not the Amateur LICENSE per se that the FCC is interested in, it's the improper use of Amateur Service FREQUENCIES it wants to avoid; i.e., pecuniary interest or pay for use of the AMATEUR frequencies (or any use of other frequencies improperly.)
Reply: The FCC rules do not apply to Amateurs for the use of a credit union by participants in a county benefit program as a result of a RACES program in and by that county. What it does do is to seek to prevent Amateur licensees from using the Amateur Radio Service FREQUENCIES incorrectly. It's not the Amateur LICENSE per se that the FCC is interested in, it's the improper use of Amateur Service FREQUENCIES it wants to avoid; i.e., pecuniary interest or pay for use of the AMATEUR frequencies (or any use of other frequencies improperly.)
Incidental benefits -- such as the optional use of a credit union, or an employers continuation of one's salary, and provision of workers compensation or insurance coverage for disaster service workers -- are not a violation of the FCC rules. None of this conflicts with a FCC regulation because the pay is incidential to the work, not in compensation FOR the use of the Amateur Radio Service frequencies.
Other examples include compensation for mileage, lodging and meals by a jurisdiction while doing emergency response work. Likewise, hundreds of licensed amateurs operate equipment on either business or government frequencies with no difficulty from the FCC. Again, it's not the license, but the use of Amateur frequencies that is the issue.
An interesting paradox is the one where private or government employees can be released from their jobs to assist IN AN emergency and continue to receive pay while they are at the volunteer disaster work. As a result, some ACS/RACES people may actually receive salaries from their employer while on duty operating on the Amateur frequencies during an emergency. Unfortunately, there are people highly perturbed at the fact that they are unpaid while they work alongside others who are paid for their time while doing the same emergency response work. However, the problem really isn't the situation, but what they THINK about it. It disturbs them for one or more of several reasons, one of which could be that they'd like to have the same "goodie", which some would describe as envy.
Amateur Radio participants who cannot raise their mental standard of acceptance and participation above that of miscontent over such factors don't belong in the unit. Terminate or discharge them! They may not like that, but it's best for the overall morale of the unit; and in a way, it has a chance of helping that person in ways he or she may someday discern.
Other examples include compensation for mileage, lodging and meals by a jurisdiction while doing emergency response work. Likewise, hundreds of licensed amateurs operate equipment on either business or government frequencies with no difficulty from the FCC. Again, it's not the license, but the use of Amateur frequencies that is the issue.
An interesting paradox is the one where private or government employees can be released from their jobs to assist IN AN emergency and continue to receive pay while they are at the volunteer disaster work. As a result, some ACS/RACES people may actually receive salaries from their employer while on duty operating on the Amateur frequencies during an emergency. Unfortunately, there are people highly perturbed at the fact that they are unpaid while they work alongside others who are paid for their time while doing the same emergency response work. However, the problem really isn't the situation, but what they THINK about it. It disturbs them for one or more of several reasons, one of which could be that they'd like to have the same "goodie", which some would describe as envy.
Amateur Radio participants who cannot raise their mental standard of acceptance and participation above that of miscontent over such factors don't belong in the unit. Terminate or discharge them! They may not like that, but it's best for the overall morale of the unit; and in a way, it has a chance of helping that person in ways he or she may someday discern.
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